TOY ELEMENT COMPRISING A HOLDER AND A THIN FLEXIBLE MATERIAL

Abstract: A toy element with a thin, flexible material as well as a holder for it. The toy element may be used e.g. in connection with doll's houses in which it constitutes a curtain with suspension. When using such toy elements, it is important that the curtain and the suspension are not easily torn. This is achieved in that the toy element comprises a holder (1, 2) and a thin, flexible material (7) as well as coupling means for mounting the flexible material (7) in the holder (1, 2), and in that the coupling means comprise an elongate cavity in the holder with a longitudinal slot (10), said cavity encasing holding means (3), said flexible material (7) extending through the slot (10) and enclosing the holding means (3).

Description: Toy el ement compri s i ng a hol der and a thin f lexi bl e mater i a l The present invention concerns a toy element comprising a thin, flexible material and means for suspending it. In connection with e.g. doll's houses it is known to use such devices which, in this connection, can form window curtains or shower curtains, with associated suspension. These known devices may be formed by a traditionally sus- pended curtain rod, i.e. a rod suspended by e.g. a suspen¬ sion fitting at each of its ends, with the associated cur¬ tain hung up on the curtain rod. An alternative solution is e.g. to secure the curtain fabric directly to the wall of the doll's house by glueing or other known methods. Since, as it well-known, toys are frequently subjected to rather rough handling during play, these known devices frequently involve the problem either that the thin, flex¬ ible material, which forms e.g. a curtain, can easily be torn because of the manner in which it is secured to the toy, e.g. by glueing, stitching, etc. or that the suspen¬ sion device, e.g. the above-mentioned curtain rod with traditional fittings, is made relatively fragile in order to have reasonably natural dimensions and can therefore easily break. The above-mentioned problem also arises in other toy con¬ nections where a thin, flexible material is to be sus¬ pended from or secured to a stationary element. The object of the invention is therefore to provide a toy element comprising a thin, flexible material, such as a plastics sheet and woven textiles, as well as means for suspending it, so that tearing of the thin, flexible ma- terial as well as its suspension means is made difficult, while making the toy element suitable to create the illu¬ sion of e.g. window curtains or shower curtains and the like, which means i.a. that it must be possible to adapt the toy element in such a manner that the thin, flexible material can be moved on its suspension so as to have a reasonable function e.g. as a curtain. This object is achieved with a toy element as defined in claim 1, since, when it is attempted to pull the thin, flexible material out of the longitudinal slot, said mate¬ rial acts on the holding means enclosed in the longitu¬ dinal cavity so as to provide a clamping effect between the said holding means and the elongate cavity on both sides of the holding means, said thin, flexible material, which encloses the holding means, being retained by clamp¬ ing action on both sides of the holding means. Since this clamping action is provided solely by a pull in the thin, flexible material, there will be no permanent clamping effect that may be destructive for the thin, flexible material, and the thin, flexible material does not drop down when the clamping action ceases. In addition, it is possible to avoid discrete fittings which are used e.g. in connection with suspension of curtain rods at its ends, since the suspension member may be constructed such that it can be secured to an underlying structure along its entire length, without this reducing the possibility of moving the thin, flexible material on the suspension. The features defined in claim 2 additionally improve the protection against tearing of the thin, flexible material, since, when engaging the inner side of the cavity, the rod member locks the thin, flexible material in a continuous engagement with the inner side of the cavity. Claim 3 defines an expedient embodiment providing a spe¬ cial structure which is easy to mount and easy to manufac- ture, since the cavity and the longitudinal slots are not established until the main element and the locking parts are assembled, thereby making it simple to position the thin, flexible material as well as the holding means prior to the assembling process. The subject-matter defined in claim 4 provides a consider¬ ably reduced friction between the thin, flexible material and the associated holder when the thin material is moved in the holder. Depending upon the use of the thin, flexible material, e.g. a window curtain, a shower curtain, the shape of the cavity and the slots may be adapted to the use, e.g. be rectilinear or curve-shaped, as stated in claims 5 and 6. Claims 7 to 10 define embodiments of the invention which make the invention suitable in connection with toy build¬ ing sets. Embodiments of the invention are described more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a toy element according to the invention prior to assembly. Fig. 2 shows the toy element of fig. 1 in the assembled state, seen obliquely from below. Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention in the assembled state, seen from below. Fig. 1 thus shows a toy element according to the invention before the element is finished. Most of the non-visible contours are shown in dotted line. The element is formed by a main element 1, a locking part 2 and a rod 3, on which two pieces of fabric, sheet or the like 7 are mounted. Such an element may e.g. be used as a curtain in a doll's house. The main element 1 is open downwardly and is divided longitudinally by the central wall 4 so as to form two downwardly open cavities. One of these cavities accommo¬ dates downwardly extending guide studs 5. The locking part 2 is adapted to be positioned in the studded cavity of the main element, i.e. by sliding the locking part 2 into the main element 1 along the shown dash-and-dot lines. For this purpose the locking part is provided with guide tubes 6 which are adapted to receive the guide studs 5 in the main element 1 so that the main element 1 and the locking part 2 are positioned with re¬ spect to each other. Various assembling principles may be used depending upon whether it is desired that the element must be capable of being disassembled following assembly; thus, the guide studs 5 and the guide tubes 6 may glued together or be assembled in a simple frictional connec¬ tion. In addition, the guide studs 5 and the guide tubes 6 may comprise snap-locking parts which can engage each other, either reversibly or irreversibly. Further, the locking part 2 is provided with a hook 8 to retain the curtain rod 3 with respect to the locking ele¬ ment 2, said hook 8 facilitating the mounting during the assembling process. Below the curtain rod 3, the locking element 2 is provided with a wall 9 designed such that the wall 9, in combination with the central wall 4 in the main element defines a cavity following assembling of the ele¬ ment, in which the curtain rod 3 is positioned, as well as a slot 10, so that the curtain extends from the cavity through the slot 10 and out of the element. The slot 10 has a width which is smaller than the profile of the cur- tain rod 3, thereby ensuring that the curtain rod 3 cannot be pulled out of the element after this has been as¬ sembled. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 the curtains 7 can be moved on the curtain rod 3, which improves the play value of the element of course. To accommodate the curtains 7 when these are drawn aside, the width of the slot 10 is increased at its ends by the stepped formations 11. At its ends and in the center, the curtain rod 3 is pro¬ vided with thickenings 12a, 12b which, in addition to serving to fix the curtain fabric 7, also ensure that the curtain rod 3 is lifted away from the slot, thereby pro- viding low friction when the curtains 7 are moved on the curtain rod 3. The latter effect might also be obtained by providing the wall 9 with supports. The central thicken¬ ings 12b, in combination with the hook 8, moreover serve to fix the curtain rod 3 in the locking part 2, which additionally facilitates the assembling process. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the element after the assemb¬ ling process. The curtains 7 hang out through the slot 10, which is defined by the main element 1 and its central wall 4 as well as the lower wall 9 of the locking part 2. At the opposite side of the central wall 4, the main ele¬ ment 1 is open downwardly and provided with ribs 13 which serve to stiffen the central wall 4. Further, the central wall 4 and the ribs 13 are adapted so as to frictionally engage protruding stud parts on another element (not shown), so that the element may be incorporated in a toy building set, e.g. by mounting on a supporting structure. Fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention, in which the main element together with a locking part 2 defines a slot 10 shaped as a circular arc. This element may conceivably be used as a shower curtain in a doll's house, and the locking element is therefore provided with a dummy 14 which similates a shower head. The element is shown as an alternative embodiment of the basic principle of the invention, and it is evident that this principle may be varied in a very large number of different embodi¬ ments, depending upon the use.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s : 1. A toy element comprising a holder (1, 2) and a thin, flexible material (7) as well as coupling means for mount¬ ing the flexible material (7) in the holder (1, 2), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the coupling means com¬ prise an elongate cavity in the holder with a longitudinal slot (10), said cavity encasing holding means (3), and that the flexible material (7) extends through the slot (10) and encloses the holding means (3). 2. A toy element according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the holding means (3) are formed by a rod member, and that a casing is formed in the flexible material (7) to enclose the rod member (3). 3. A toy element according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the holder is formed by a main ele- ment (1) and a locking part (2) for coupling to the main element (1) to define the cavity and the longitudinal slot (10). 4. A toy element according to claims 2 and 3, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that supporting means (12a, 12b) are provided at least at the two ends of the rod member (3), and that the supporting means (12a, 12b) are adapted to hold the rest of the rod member (3) without contact with the walls of the cavity. 5. A toy element according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the slot (10) and the cavity are rectilinear. 6. A toy element according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the slot (10) and the cavity are curve-shaped. 7. A toy element according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the holder is a separate element provided with coupling means for coupling to complementary coupling means on a supporting structure. 8. A toy element according to claim 7, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the coupling means comprise coup¬ ling parts which are adapted to receive coupling studs on the carrying structure. 9. A toy element according to claim 7, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the coupling means are adapted to be inserted into complementary guide parts on the carrying structure. 10. A toy element according to claim 9, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that it comprises snap parts adapted to engage complementary snap parts in the carrying structure in the inserted position of the toy element.

Inventors: PEDERSEN LARS, PEDERSEN, LARS
Applicants: INTERLEGO AG, LEGO AS, PEDERSEN LARS, LEGO A/S, PEDERSEN, LARS
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A63H33
IPC codes: A63H3, A63H33